The Accredited Inside Sales Manager

My last letter to you discussed the Certified Inside Sales Professional (CISP® ) certification. Today I’m talking to you as the Inside Sales leader.

The most insightful thing I’ve heard recently about sales training had to do with who gets trained first. Most organizations are quick to roll out sales training to the reps, but they forget the leaders. Oh, a manager might sit in on the training and get some additional content on how to coach to it, but they themselves get very little about all the skills and duties of the demanding role of an Inside Sales leader. Today more than ever, we have a shortage of qualified Inside Sales managers to assume the ever-growing role of leader. The skills and experiences required of Inside Sales leaders continue to rise as they have for sales reps.

The AISM® was designed specifically for Inside Sales leaders. You could call it an MBA on Inside Sales leadership! It covers topics that cannot be found anywhere in the world in terms of training. As an example, one of the requirements of today’s Inside Sales leader is to “sell the value” of Inside Sales to senior executives. Well, the AISM® has an actual course designed solely around selling the value of Inside Sales across an organization. Other unique offerings include courses on compensation plan design and motivating Inside Sales teams. Leaders are allowed to select from a long list of electives, which range from basic courses on managing performance to practicums which require leaders to implement a project at their workplace. Completion of a final CAPSTONE project is required of each candidate to demonstrate actionable changes they have implemented based on what they have learned during their AISM® study.

Although earning your AISM® credential won’t guarantee you’ll be a great leader, it shows a personal dedication and commitment to advancing your career as a leader of people. It recognizes the fact that you are serious about your development while maintaining the highest standard of excellence as a professional.

Without strong and effective leadership, an Inside Sales team will never reach its full potential.